What is the difference between cooking wine and wine you drink?

By Beth P. Heiserman

This week, I had a customer ask is there a difference between a cooking a wine and wine that is called for in a recipe. The answer is yes and no. It depends upon the wine that is part of the recipe. But for the most part, the main difference is the quality of wine. Drinking wine is a much better quality. Cooking with a drinking wine will give you a better dish because…

Come celebrate National Wine and Cheese Day at Reyes Winery…

We will be having a Vertical Tasting at Reyes Winery on
Saturday July 14th from 12pm-2pm. Please arrive 15 minutes early to check in. I start promptly at noon.

We will be serving our Muscats from 2011-2016 and Sweet Serenity, a dessert wine made from our 2009 Muscat. Sweet Serenity has won Gold & Best in Class in the 2014 Long Beach Grand Cru and a bronze in the 2014 Los Angeles International Wine…

The First stage of a growth of a vine

by Beth Heiserman

“Bud break”…what is that?It is the initiation of growth from the bud. It is the first stage of the growth of a vine. When it starts, dormancy is over. Then Flowering starts approximately 60 days later, and then the fruit will set, fourth is veraison and finally harvest.

Every year after harvest all the plants go dormant. We generally need at least 45 days of 54° weather every year to have a good harvest the following year. Generally,…

Have you ever opened a bottle of wine and as you are opening the bottle, get a whiff of something you aren’t sure what it is? Last week, I was opening a bottle of wine and as I removed the cork, an odor like no other was coming from the bottle. It smelled like a wet dog! I took a small sip to make sure, and then I knew the bottle had “Cork Taint”. I put the…

any years ago, I went to Concannon Winery in Livermore, CA. They are known for their Petite Sirah. My father knew Jim Concannon. I stayed up there for two weeks to learn more about wine. He taught me from Wine Tasting Etiquette to wine pairing. I enjoyed my trip so much; it is something I will never forget. I remember walking through a courtyard with him, asking him what do Petite Sirah grapes taste like compared to the actual wine. He reached up above up on an…

SF International Wine and Spirits “Double Gold” Tour

by Beth Heiserman

Last week, was the first leg of a 6 six-city tour for the “Double Gold” medal tour with the San Francisco International Wine & Spirits Competition. I will be traveling to New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles in the next few weeks. Plus the wine will travel on to Portland and Chicago without me. I was in San Francisco pouring our 2012 Syrah. This was our second Double Gold Medal. The 2011 Syrah won two years ago…

Celebrate one of the oldest wine varietals…Tempranillo

By Beth P. Heiserman

Tempranillo ripens earlier than other varietals. It grows around the world, but is mainly grown in the Rioja region of Spain. This varietal has been growing since Phoenicians settled in the Iberian Peninsula somewhere around 1000 BC when the wine trade was flourishing. The Phoenicians had created a widespread wine trading network around the Mediterranean Sea ports. It is possible that they started trading around 800 BC when they founded Carthage in 814 BC. They also founded Málaga,…

On St. Patrick’s Day, Everyone is a ‘Little Bit Irish’

by Beth P. Heiserman

Have you ever had an Irish wine? Many people are familiar with Irish whisky, beer and even Irish liqueurs. Who doesn’t love Irish crème liqueur and coffee? However, the Irish do make wine, too!

They grow varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, and many others. They also produce apple and pear hard cider, and even mead (honey wine). The European Commission has now officially listed Ireland as a wine producing country. We know from history that in the 5th…

Veraison

It is the ripening stage before we harvest

The grape cycle begins with bud break, generally in March or April. Flowering, and fruit set happens shortly after. Then followed in the summer by veraison which leads into harvesting. By Thanksgiving, we have the beautiful colors of fall. The leaves start to fall, which leads into dormancy in the month of December and January. We then prune in January.

Currently, we are in the veraison stage. This is the stage before harvest. After “fruit set”, the red grapes varietals…

Annually we have Paella Day at Reyes Winery. This year we are celebrating Father’s Day with Paella. We do a mixed version with chicken, pork, fish and vegetables. Robert started making paella in the 1980’s with his childhood friend in Miami. He has created this recipe we feature this coming Sunday June 19, 2016 by choosing things he likes.

I previously discussed wine tasting surroundings and avoiding unwanted smells. Your next step is to visually examine the wine; your glass should be about one-quarter full.

Look straight down into the glass, then hold the glass to the light, and finally, tilt the glass so the wine rolls toward the edge. This will allow you to see the wine’s complete color range. I recommend you do this by placing your glass in front of a piece of white paper so you can see it more clearly, this will…

How to taste and evaluate wine

This is the first in a series of short informative articles about wine tasting and wine evaluation. I will be offering some simple suggestions to help you enjoy and evaluate wine. These are suggestions you can immediately use in your wine tasting journey. I want to simplify the process and make it a fun learning experience rather than giving you a rigid set of rules to abide by. After all, wine is to be enjoyed…

Tasting Notes: This limited edition wine has aromas of plum, currant, and tobacco. Tantalizing the palate with notes of plum, raisin, and a smidgeon of pepper. This Bordeaux varietal has medium tannins and is velvet in color with a silky finish.
Pairs with: Asian-Style braised short ribs or roasted pork tenderloin with a plum sauce will pair charmingly with this delectable wine.

I’m always amused when I go to events or to someone’s house and
they have a cheese course. I often see cheeses that don’t pair really well with certain wines.

Cheese is a lot like wine, they both have aromas, flavors and other
nuances that are very similar. Cheese is perfect either as a starter or a dessert course. Pick a wine like a Chardonnay, one that is a little herbal and slightly fruity like Reyes 2010 Chardonnay. This wine pairs well with a variety of cheeses such as goat cheese rolled in Lavender…

We have general admission tickets and hike tickets are available. We have released a few more VIP tickets; purchase them before we sell out. Below are the benefits for the ticket holder of each type of ticket we are offering.

Reyes Winery is almost SOLD OUT of Reyes Muscat 2010. We will have our regular price of $15 per bottle available until January 19. Starting January 20, it will be available for $24 per bottle until we are sold out. There is very limited quantity available, buy our Reyes Muscat 2010 while you can. You can purchase our wine in the newly renovated tasting room. It is open weekends from 11am-5pm. You can also purchase our award-winning wines on the website at http://reyeswinery.com/ouronlinestore.

Reyes Winery will have one last event for the disappearing Reyes Muscat 2010, don’t miss this special…

Los Angeles County (December 20, 2012) – The First Annual Sierra Pelona Valley Wine Festival will be held Saturday January 26, 2013 from 11am to 4pm at Reyes Winery approximately 45 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. In attendance at this inaugural event will be the Sierra Pelona Valley Vintners, local winemakers and other wineries and breweries from all across southern California. They will gather to celebrate Sierra Pelona Valley’s recently granted AVA by showcasing their award winning wines and officially taking their place as one of…

The holidays are a time for family, friends, food, & laughter. Choosing the perfect wines to serve during your special gatherings can be nerve-racking. This year, relax, set the worries aside and follow these recommendations for these sure-to-please Holiday Food & Wine Pairings. Let these fine wine recommendations help you plan your holidays stress free.

What to Pour First?

Whether you are the host or a holiday guest selecting a bottle to bring to the party, there is no better way to jump-start the evening than with a bottle of a lighter wine! No need to be uneasy about which wine…

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a reminder that November 17-21, Reyes 2010 Chardonnay will be 15% off the regular price. We will have special holiday hours during November.

Monday November 19 thru Wednesday November 21 from 1pm-4pm.

Friday November 23, 11am-4pm. Come and see our Black Friday Specials…They will be amazing!

Sunday December 9, 12:00 to 3:00 pm. Merlot Day Special includes one bottle of our multi-award winner Merlot 2010, winery and gallery tour, chocolate and cheeses to pair, tasting flight 7 wines. $35.00 per person. Please sign up by going to our…

During one of the last warm days in October we took a beautiful drive through a long winding road that led us to a new winery about 30 minutes from our home in Newhall. The exterior of the winery was decorated with an expansive fountain framed by an equally expansive view of vines on three sides; on the fourth side was the winery tasting room situated between the winery itself and a modest home. Had we viewed the winery from above, we would have seen vines in all four directions, with…

It is well balanced and has the roundness of a mature wine with well-integrated soft tannins and complexity. Black fruit, toasted oak, and pepper flavors with notes of dark chocolate come together seamlessly on the lengthy smooth finish of this wine.

Our 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon is our second “Estate Bottled” vintage. It won a silver medal in the LA Int’l Wine and Spirits Competition 2012 and a Bronze in Orange County Competition. This wine has been as well received as the prior vintage. This velvety and elegant wine has light to medium tannins and a very distinct Cabernet aroma. It is well rounded with excellent balance and intensity in the mid palate and a lingering finish. Replete with ripe sweet fruit flavors of black cherries, raspberries, blackberries, and a harmonious slightly nutty taste.

VISION

Robert Reyes envisioned having a small vineyard to produce small amounts of ultra premium wines to share with family and friends. However, when the beautiful piece of land where the vineyard is today, was acquired in 2002, the vision changed from a personal hobby to a small boutique winery. The longer-term vision is to bring Reyes Wines to wine lovers throughout the US and abroad.

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Mission Statement
Our mission is to produce the best quality wines in Los Angeles County by having a high standard of care and focusing on every phase of production. This passion for perfection will ensure that once consumers taste our wines, they'll know the quality and craftsmanship that goes into every bottle of Reyes Wines. (Our collection of 100 medals and awards as of June 2017 is a testament to our mission to be the best)